Quebec north plan good for Arctic sovereignty: Charest

MONTREAL – Premier Jean Charest says Quebec’s northern development plan could help Canada assert its authority over the Northwest Passage.

He says establishing a northern presence and exploiting resources there would be another way to shore up Canada’s Arctic sovereignty.

“Occupation is a good way to assert ownership,” Charest said Monday. “Failure to occupy a territory puts it at risk.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has frequently stated Canada’s Arctic sovereignty as a priority of his government.

The premier points out that his Plan Nord will open a new sea route between now and 2020 and will change current trade routes.

While northern Quebec is a fair distance from the Northwest Passage shipping route, the province’s current plans would bring additional infrastructure closer to the region.

The Plan Nord aims for a variety of mining, forestry, hydroelectric and tourism projects spread over a 1.2 million square kilometre stretch of Quebec’s north.

Charest notes that several countries are laying claim to the Arctic under international law. He mentioned in a speech to a board of trade luncheon in Montreal that neither Europe nor the United States recognizes Canadian claims to the area.

Charest also said he was not worried that the recent slowdown in the Chinese economy would reduce the demand by that country for Quebec minerals.